5 Effective Tips to Help Autistics Children Study Mathematics

11 Jun 5 Effective Tips to Help Autistics Children Study Mathematics

While many might find autism to be a challenging condition, it actually means that a child has special abilities and needs to prosper in life. An autistic child is a bit different from the rest, but they are a part of the society. Thus, it is imperative that they receive the same amount of education and deserve the special attention that they need.

Oftentimes, people feel that autism is a disability that hinders the growth of a child. It is actually the opposite. Autistic children actually have a very high IQ. It is, however, the traditional methods of teaching that hinder their mental growth and their inability to grasp the very basic ways to compute and apply such methods to survive in their daily life.

Thus, it is imperative to reach out to the right tools and apply the right methods to cultivate the mental awareness of an autistic child. However, it has been seen that autistic children are actually good at maths. It might be because they are able to interpret the system by which it functions, faster than normal people. They are able to understand order and are better at reciting the numbers.

But to introduce math to an autistic child can be difficult at first. Thus, it is essential to find out ways to deal with such difficulties as the requirements of every autistic child are different.

“If they can’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn.”

5 Tips to make autistics children learn maths

An autistic child might resist learning at first. Thus, you need to find out effective ways to deal with it. Autism is a condition that affects both the parties, the one afflicted with it and the one who has to teach the child and care for them. It is imperative that you introduce math at the age of 5 since they are mostly open at that time. Listed below are some tips that can help you to teach mathematical skills to your child.

Use visual methods

Autistic children are literally visual thinkers. They can interpret and learn through pictures better than through words. So use such visual aids to teach maths. They are often enough fascinated with technology so make use of the camera, the laptop and more importantly, the internet.

Like for example, you can use flashcards to teach them about numbers, or use pictures so make them learn about sequence. You can even turn to the online websites for help to learn about other mediums that might help.

“It takes a big heart to shape a little mind.”

Don’t use too many words

Autistic children have a problem interpreting words and take anything you say literally. They cannot interpret long sentences and thus, have a problem visualising anything you might say. So, use short sentences to make your points. Avoid any form of abstract conversation and avoid using idioms in your conversations while explaining any math concept.

Cultivate the interest of your child

What does your child like? Does your child like listening to music more than looking at videos? Or does he/she like building blocks more? Find out where their interest lies and cultivate that medium. If your child likes music more, then teach them about numbers thorough it. Play a snippet and ask them how many times they have played, or how many strings are there on their instrument and so on.

Use daily anecdotes

It is essential that your child relate to daily things to ensure that they can apply the mathematical concepts to survive. This increases the importance of learning mathematics and makes it appear more practical. Like for example, you can take them out to shop at the grocery store. Make them a list and tell them to associate the name with the objects and let them count at the end. Allow them to handle the money to ensure they can calculate.

Adapt to the requirements of the child

A child might be fussy with the subject and might through some fits. It is imperative that you adapt to the situation. If your child does not like the method, then switch it with something else. Ensure that you are teaching them in a quiet environment where they feel comfortable and safe. You can even develop a reward system, if the child becomes too fussy. Make them solve the problem and if they are successful, reward them accordingly. It makes them motivated.

While learning how to teach maths is important, what is more important is to know what to teach to an autistic child. The perception of an autistic child differs a lot, and thus, the course has to be structured according to their needs.

Areas which needs to be concentrated upon

Are you concerned about what your child should learn? Well, you can put your doubts to rest. While maths is a vast subject, it is imperative that you start with the basics. There are essential three areas which should be focused on to cultivate the learning of the child. Listed below are these specific areas which are essential for the mental growth of the child.

Identification

Identification of shapes and space is very important for children to understand and progress. They need to learn exactly what is located in the environment and how to identify such objects. They need to learn about the various sizes and the about the directions as well. They need to relate such concepts with daily objects. They need to understand and learn about time as well. Thus, they need a practical approach to understand this area and the best way to do so is by employing a ‘hands on’ approach.

Application of mathematics

The need to learn how to apply mathematics to our daily lives is extremely important, even more so for an autistics child. It is related to all areas of life that allow them to understand and deal with various aspects of life, like handling transactions and so on.

Thus, they need to learn how to handle money and maintain a count of it; using mathematical concepts to solve a problem, like for example to pick up the required amount of glasses for a group of people, and so on.

Use of numbers

The understanding of numbers and using it to solve daily problems is a key skill for an autistic child to pick up. It is imperative that they learn all the numbers present and how to calculate and perform easy mathematical operations.

They need to learn how to match the number of objects to a specific number, how to identify numbers, learn how to count orally and from memory, learn how to contrast objects with one another, learning how to use mathematical operations while conversing, learning how to add and subtract, among other things.

So, keep these specific areas in mind when you are teaching an autistic child. However, it is imperative that you ensure that the method of learning is best suited for your child. While there are various institutions that provide classroom learning for autistic children, however, they are not always the best.

It has been seen that one-on-one interactions are best suited and also cultivate the learning of the child as it tailored according to their needs, and not generalized.So, go ahead and employ these tips and motivate your child to learn.